Electric message-carrier.



B. P. SCHNEIDER.

ELECTRIC MESSAGE CARRIER.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 1a, 1913. 1,1 1 5,339, Patented 001;. 27, 1914.

- 3 3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

B. P. SCHNEIDER.

ELECTRIC MESSAGE CARRIER.

APPLIOATION FILED SEPT. 16. 1913.

Patented Oct. 27,1914.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2 B. P. SCHNEIDER.

ELECTRIC MESSAGE CARRIER.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 16 1913.

Patented Oct. 27, 1914.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

awe (men 1m TED STATES? PATENT came.

BENJIMAN r. SCHNEIDER, or NORFOLK, NEBRASKA, ASSiGNOR or ONE-HALF To i JOHN B. FITZGERALD, or NORFOLK, NEBRASKA.

ELECTRIC MESSAGE- CARRIER.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, BENJIMAN P. SCHNEI- DER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Norfolk, in the county of, Madison and State of Nebraska, have invented new, and useful Improvements in Electric Message- Carriers, of which the following is a specification. l

This invention relates to improvements in store service systems, and has particular application to a system whereby cash, packages and other articles may be transferred from one place to another. v

In carrying out the present invention it is my purpose to provide a systeni of the class described wherein the carriage bearing the article carrier will be electrically propelled and automatically brought to a stand-still upon reaching the limit of its path of travel.

It is also my purpose to provide a store service system wherein the current of the electrically propelled traveling carriage will be automatically cut 05 and the carriage held against further movement upon reaching the limit of its path of travel and whereirjif the carriage will be released and the flow 0 immediately succeeding the release of the carriage thereby permitting the latter to travel in the reverse direction. Further I aim to provide a system of'the type set forth which will embrace the features of simplicity, efficiency and durability and one which may be installed and maintained at a minimum expense.

With the above objects in View and others of a like nature, the invention. consists in the construction,combination and arrangement ofv parts hereinafter set forth in and fia-lling within the'scope of the appended c aim.

In. the accompanying drawings :-Figure 1 1s a view in elevation of a store service system constructed in accordance with my,

present invention; Fig. 2 is a view in side elevation of the carriage showing the same on an enlarged scale; Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the system; Fig.v 4 is an enlarged perspective view of a part of the same; Fig. 5 is a transverse horizontal sectional view through the motor, showing the reverser in one position; Fig. 6 is a similar view, showing the reverser in neutral position; and Fig. 7 ista view in side elevation of the cal- Specification of Letters Patent.- Application filed September 16,1913. Serial No. 790,092.

the current through the motor reversed 'ing outwardly from screw bolt which is proximitv Patented @ct. 27, teat.

riage equipped with a modified form of carrier.

' Referring now to the accompanying draw- I ings in detaiLTnumerals l1 designate conductors spaced apart in parallelism and com-- posed of any suitable material capable of conducting an electric current. .Each conductor-has one end thereof suitably fastened to and insulate from a screw shank 2 passed'through an aperture in a plate 3suspended from a suitable support through the medium of a screw-bolt {uprising from the upper edge of the plate These screw shanks 2 pass loosely through the respective apertures and are spaced apart horizontally in parallel relation so as to accommodate the conductors 1-1 and have their free extremities thereofequippedwith thumb nuts 5 whereby the screw shanks may be moved withinthe respective openings or apertures in the plate 3 to put the conductors under more or less tension. The opposite extrem ities of the condt ctors 1-1 are appropriately fastened to an about a shaft 6 journaled in horizontally alining bearings 7 carried by lugs Sextendone face of a plate 9 and suitably spaced apart, the conductors 1-1 being insulated rising'from the top edge of the plate 9. is a designed to be passed through a support so that the plate 9 may be suspended and equipped with suitable lock-nuts. One endof the shaft 6 terminates in a non-circular extension 11 designed. to.

receive a handle, Wrench or thelike so that the shaft 6 may be rotated within its bearings and the conductors tightened or slackened, as desired. In order to hold the shaft 6 against backward rotation subsequent to placing the conductors 11 under tension, any suitable means may he employed. In the present instance, a ratchet wheel 12 is keyed upon one end of the shaft 6 and is normally engaged by spring-pressed dog 13 pivoted upon the adjacent edge of the plate 9,

The numerals 1al14 designate blocks disposed between the conductors 1'l in U to the plates 3' and Y 9;. Each block is equipped at the opposite sides thereof with outwardlypro ecting lugs 15-15 formed with horizontal bores parallel with the sides of the block and receivdesigned to be wrapped from the shaft 6. Up- I too mg insulating bushings 16, through which a nut 19. Interposed between the confront- 32, while the wheels upon one the conductors 1-1 pass. Thus, the blocks 14-14 are supported by the conductors 1-1 and capable of sliding movement thereon' Suitably connected to the rear edge of each block 14 adjacent to the upper end thereof and extending rearwardly therefrom is'a rod 17 passed through an aperture formed in the adjacent plate ne r the upper edge thereof and formed at its rear end with screw threads 18 to receive cuit with the motor is a reverser compris- 1ng,'1n this instance, annular series of segments 33 having the confronting en s thereof spaced apart or otherwise insulated by a block 35 at diametrically opposite points rotatably mounted upon a pin 36 disposed centrally of the segments. This reverser is suspended from the under side of the motor and is supported thereby, and ing surfaces of the block and the respecconnected to the block 35 is a horizonta tive plate is a relatively heavy coiled expansion spring 20 encircling the respective portion of the 'rod 17, while surrounding the remaining portion of the rod is a light expansion spring 21 acting in opposition to the spring 20 and having one end in engagement with the adjacent face of the plate, and the opposite end abutting the nut 19. By means of this construction, it will be seen that should either one of the blocks 14-14 be subjected to an impact, such block will slide along the conductors 1-1 toward the adjacent plate 3, 9, and against the action of the respective spring 20, thereby-cushioning the shock or jar. Succeeding this movement of the block, the spring 20 re-acts to return the block to normal position, while the spring 21 counter-acts the action of the spring 20 to a certain extent thereby preventing the sudden return'of the block to normal. Extending downwardly and forwardly from each block 14 is a horn 22 terminating a suitable distance below the plane of the conductors and equipped at one side edge with a holding lug connected to a rod 38 mounted for sliding movement within apertures 39-39 formed in the opposite side walls of the frame 28 and having the axes thereof mounted in parallelism with the conductors 1-1, so that the rod 38 is similarly located. Mounted within alining slots 4040,formed in the side walls of the frame 29 and disposed at the side of the reverser opposite from the openings 39-39, is a holding bar 41 having the opposite ends thereof formed with down-turned lugs 42-42 adapted to engage one or the other of the holding lugs 23 and the central portion thereof curved upwardly, as at 43, so that the lever 37 may be swung about its fulcrum before engaging the bar 41. Between the side walls of the frame the bar is provided with outwardly extending pins 44 whereby accidental displacement of the bar from the frame is avoided. 1

In practice, the shaft 6 is rotated, as previously described, to place the conductors 1 -1 under the desired tension and the con ductors'connectedup I rent. Assuming the carriage to be traveling in the direction of the arrow as indicated in Fig. 1, the lug 42 on the forward end of the bar 41 will, upon 23 and at the opposite edge l with an ear 24 formed with an aperture receiving the screw shank 25 of an obstacle 26.

Designed to travel upon the conductors 1-1 is an electrically propelled carriage 27 composed, in the present instance, of a metallic frame 28 suspended between the upon the holding lug 23 on the horn 22 of conductors 1-1 from axles 29-29 jourthe respective block 14 and engage such lug so as to hold the carriage against further movement. Simultaneously with the lug42 riding upon the lug 23, the respective end of naled in the opposite ends of the frame and having fast upon the opposite ends thereof wheels 30 formed with peripheral grooves to engage the conductors 1-1. Mlounted within the frame 28 and suitably fastened thereto is an electric motor 31 of the reversible type. The conducnrs 1-1 are adapted to be connected up to a suitable source of electric energy by means of wires of the axles 29 act as current collectors and have fastened to the inner faces thereof, concentrically of the axle, annular bands 29, upon which bear brushes 29 connected with the motor leads 29 so that when the conductors 1-1 are energized, the current may be directed through the motor by way of the respective train of wheels 30, the'bands, the brushes and the leads. Connected in cirswings the lever 37 from the position shown in Fig. 5 to that illustrated in Fig. 6, thereby cutting off the flow of current to the motor. When it is desired to release the carriage and reverse the travel thereof the lever 37 is swung about its fulcrum to the position opposite from that shown in Fig. 5

reversed and the respective end of the bar 41 elevated to relieve the lug 42 of the influence of the holding lug 23. Thus, the carriage may travel along the conductors 1-1 toward the opposite ends thereof.

In the form of my invention illustrated in Figs. 1 to 6, inclusive, the lower end of the frame 28 is equipped with a depending anfrom one another and adapted to be bridged I by means of bridging strips 3434 carried lever 37 having one end thereof pivotally withthe source of curthe carriage reaching the limit of the path of travel, ride- ,the bar 38 abuts the obstacle 26 and so in;

whereby the flow of current to the motor'is Fig. 7, the carrier is in the form of a basket 50 suitably fastened. to the lower end of the frame 28 and designed .to convey packages.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the construction, mode of operation and manner of employing my invention will be readily apparent. Itwill be .seen that I provide a store service system wherein the electric current of the motor'of the carriage is automatically gut oif and the carriage held against movement when the same reaches the limit of its path of .travel. Furthermore, it will be noted that when the reversing lever 37 is swung about its fulcrum so as to reverse the motor, such lever will engage one of the heels formed at the juncture of the bend or curved portion 43 with the main body portion of the bar 41, so as to elevate the respective end of the holding bar, thereby relieving the carriage of the influence of the holding lug succeeding the reversing of the motor.

- v While I have herein shownand described one embodiment of the invention by way "of illustratlon, I wish it to be understood that I do not confine myself to the precise'details of construction herein described and delineated, as modification and variation may be made within the scope of the claims and without departing from the spirit of the invention. Furthermore, it is to be understood that my invention in its useful application is not limited to store service systems, as thesame may be employed in connection with other conveying apparatus.

Havin thus described my invention, what I c aim is:

In a store service system, a pair of conductors spaced apart in parallelism and adapted to be connected up with a source of current, blocks at the opposite ends of said conductors, a horn depending from each block, a stop lug at the lower end of said horn .upon one side thereof, an abutment lug upon the other side of said horn, a carriage mounted upon said conductors and adapted to travel along the same, an electric motor on said carriage and receiving current from said conductors, 'a reverser and circuit breaker on the carriage connected in c1rcu1t with said motor, a rod capable of sliding movement and having the opposite ends thereof adapted to engage said abutment lugs when the carriage reaches the limit of its path of movementin one direction or the other, a connection between said rod and reverser and circuit breaker whereby the flow of current to the motor will be cut off upon the carriage reaching the limit of its path of movement, and means on said carriage adapted to be engaged by said stop lug to hold the carriage against movement succeeding the cutting off or the current.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence oftwo witnesses.

'BENJIMA'N P. SCHNEIDER. Witnesses:

Jim. W. RICE, ERNEST Reason. 

